ROBERT F. WAGNER GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC SERVICE NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
H U M A N IT A R IA N L O G IS T IC S
MANAGING THE EFFECTIVE DELIVERY OF SUPPLIES TO SUPPORT RESPONSEIN T E N S IV E C O U R S E – JA N U A R Y 6 -‐F E B R U A R Y 1 5 , 2 0 1 4
PROFESSOR: DR. LAURA ROCK KOPCZAK
EMAIL: [email protected]
CELL PHONE: 845-‐901-‐4967
OFFICE HOURS: TBD
COURSE DESCRIPTION
“Boots on the ground” create the action in humanitarian action. Whether it be medicines, tents, blankets, pumps, textbooks, communications equipment or vehicles, materials and supplies must be in place for humanitarian response to take place. Humanitarian logistics is the management and execution of the activities needed to plan for and move relief materials and supplies, along with related funds and information, from suppliers to beneficiaries. Logistics activities include needs assessment, planning, procurement, transport, warehousing, distribution to beneficiaries, and reporting. Effective, timely logistics is critical to response to emergencies arising from armed conflicts, epidemics, famine, and natural disasters.
This course provides an overview of humanitarian logistics by introducing the challenging context in which it takes place, the organizations typically involved, the products and services needed, and the operational approaches taken and challenges encountered in meeting the needs. Issues covered include operational challenges, funding issues, coordination and strengthening local capacity. The course combines lectures, readings and teaching cases covering organizations such as IFRC, UNICEF and MSF.
COURSE GRADING & REQUIREMENTS
In this course, we will develop an understanding of humanitarian logistics through lecture, reading, and the case study method.
Course Grading Components (tentative)
Final grades are determined by the following course components:
• Class Participation (30%)
Class participation consists of four main components: presence, promptness, preparation, and
discussion participation. All class sessions will involve discussion, especially those centering on a case discussion. If you have thoroughly prepared, you should have no problems following and contributing to the discussion. Keep in mind that much of a leader’s communication is verbal, especially in
operations settings. Therefore, developing your abilities to verbally state and support your positions is an important part of this class, in addition to listening and reflecting on the discourse.
• Assignments (45%)
There will be three assignments, each weighted 15%. These are an important part of this course as they apply the concepts we learn in class. They will be framed in relation to actual humanitarian interventions. You are free to work with classmates on the assignments, in groups of two or three. Each collaborating group should submit only one assignment noting all collaborators’ names.
• Take-‐Home Final Exam (25%)
This exam will be case based and will be completed individually.
Prerequisites
• CORE-‐GP.1020 Managing Public Service Organizations (MPSO)
This is a core course and the gateway to the broader management curriculum.
• Statistical Knowledge
o Normal distribution, mean, standard deviation. o Aggregating two or more normal distributions.
• Excel Knowledge (Minimum is NONCR-‐GP.0932 Excel Computer Module I or equivalent)
o Consider taking NONCR-‐GP.0933Excel Computer Module II o Review “Basic tasks in Excel 2010” in the Microsoft Office help.
COURSE READINGS
The required and optional readings for the class will come from the following sources: 1. Required book (also on reserve at Bobst)
Famine, Conflict and Response, by Frederick C. Cuny, with Richard B. Hill, Kumarian Press (1999).
2. Course Packet
Available in digital format only. Inquire at the bookstore or at www.XanEdu.com. 3. NYU Classes
NYU Classes will be used to post readings and assignments throughout the semester. Students are encouraged to check it frequently. Many of the readings listed in this syllabus can be found online. In such cases, URLs are specified here and links can also be found on NYU Classes.
The specific readings are listed in the Detailed Course Outline at the end of this syllabus.
COURSE CALENDAR
# TOPICS DATE ASSIGNMENT DUE
INTRODUCTION
1 IFRC RESPONSE TO HAITI EARTHQUAKE 1/6 2 INTRODUCTION 1/6 REFUGEE SUPPORT
3 “LOAD THE PLANE” EXERCISE 1/6 4 LOGISTICS FOR 19914
RWANDAN REFUGEE CRISIS
1/11 ASSIGNMENT 1 5 INTRODUCTION TO SCM 1/11 6 NEEDS ASSESSMENT 1/11 7 TO BE DETERMINED 1/11 MALNUTRITION
8 PLUMPY’NUT SUPPLY CHAIN FOR EAST AFRICA
1/18 ASSIGNMENT 2 9 “LOCAL SUPPLY” EXERCISE 1/18
CHOLERA 10 MSF SUPPLY CHAIN FOR CHOLERA 1/18 11 TO BE DETERMINED 1/18 BUILDING
LOCAL CAPACITY
12 COORDINATION 2/15
13 GHANA SCHOOL FEEDING
PROGRAM 2/15 ASSIGNMENT 3
14 TO BE DETERMINED 2/15 15 CONCLUSION & WRAP UP 2/15
2/23
(due)
TAKE HOME FINAL EXAM
Detailed Course Outline
Session 1 Video – IFRC Response to Haiti Earthquake
Date January 6Topics 1. 2. Destruction and chaos after an earthquake Reality on the ground for logisticians during the response 3. Challenges and obstacles
NYU
Classes • Skim: Jonathan Harr, “Lives of the Saints: International hardship duty in Chad,” The New Yorker, January 5, 2009, pp. 1-‐8.
Session 2 Introduction
Date January 6Topics 1. 2. Course Overview Immediate emergency response 3. Regional logistics strategy at IFRC
Preparation
Book • No reading required.
NYU Classes
• How to Prepare a Case Discussion Handout
• “Can Heroes Be Efficient? Information Technology at the International
Federation of the Red Cross,” by Laura Rock Kopczak, M. Eric Johnson, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, 2004 (Case #6-‐0021).
• Luk van Wassenhove. “Blackett Memorial Lecture: Humanitarian aid
logistics: supply chain management in high gear,” Journal of the Operational Research Society (2006) 57, 475-‐489.
Optional • “International organizations” and “NGOs and private action,” in Shaping the Humanitarian World, by Per Walker and Daniel Maxwell, Routledge Global Institutions, (2009).
Session 3 “Load the Plane” Exercise
Date January 6Topics 1. 2. Allocation of freight to trucks/planes based on cubic volume and priorities Creating a transport plan and timeline Preparation • No reading required.
Session 4 Logistics for 1994 Rwandan Refugee Crisis
Date January 11Topics 1. 2. Planning for receipt and movement of people and materials in country Chaotic context and need to balance immediate tasks with improving the structure of the logistics operation
NYU Classes
• How to Prepare a Case Discussion Handout
• Prepare assignment #1: “The logistics of a Third-‐World relief
operation,” by Andrew McClintock
• Andrew McClintock, “Logistics of Humanitarian Emergencies: Notes
from the Field,” Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, Volume 17, Number 4, December 2009.
Optional • Cuny – Chapter 11
Assignment #1 is due by email January 11 before class
Session 5 Introduction to Supply Chain Management
Date January 11Topics
1. Risks and challenges in the supply chain 2. Lead times
3. Cost-‐response time tradeoffs 4. Network analysis
5. Inventory location and sizing
Preparation NYU
Classes • “Managing Risk to Avoid Supply-‐Chain Breakdown,” by Sunil Chopra and ManMohan S. Sodhi, MIT Sloan Management Review (Fall 2004).
Session 6 Needs Assessment
Date January 11Topics 1. 2. Assessment of beneficiary needs and programmatic challenges Forecasting material requirements 3. Assessment of logistics requirements and challenges
Preparation Book • Read: Cuny, chapter 12
• Skim: Cuny, chapters 1-‐4
Session 7 To Be Determined
Date January 11Session 8 Plumpy’Nut Supply Chain for East Africa
Date January 18Topics
1. Analysis and improvement of humanitarian supply chains 2. Lead time and inventory analysis
3. Production capacity and capacity utilization 4. Evaluation of options to improve
NYU Classes
• Prepare Assignment #2: “UNICEF Plumpy’Nut Supply Chain,” by Jay
Swaminathan, Teaching case (2009).
•
“Managing Risk to Avoid Supply-‐Chain Breakdown,” by Sunil Chopra and ManMohan S. Sodhi, MIT Sloan Management Review (Fall 2004).Assignment #2 is due by email January 18 before class
Session 9 “Local Supply” Exercise
Date January 18Topics 1. Challenges in balancing cost effectiveness, availability, product quality and development goals 2. Obstacles to making local supply work
Preparation • No reading required.
Session 10 MSF Supply Chain for Cholera
Date January 18Topics
1. Forecasting material requirements for emergencies 2. Country vs. global forecasting
3. Managing a complex product assortment 4. Locating preparedness stock
Preparation Book • Read: Cuny, chapter 5
Classes NYU • “Preparedness,” from Humanitarian Logistics, by R. Tomasini and L.Van Wassenhove, St. Martin’s Press (2009).
Session 11 To Be Determined
Date January 18Topics 1. Performance measures (tentative)
Preparation
Book • No reading required.
NYU Classes
• Peter Tatham and Kate Hughes, “Humanitarian logistics metrics:
where we are and how we might improve,” from Humanitarian
Logistics, edited by M. Chrostopher and P. Tatham, Kogan Page Limited (2011).
Session 12 Coordination
Date February 15 Topics1. Regional coordination 2. Within agency coordination 3. Logistics cluster coordination
Preparation NYU
Classes • “Coordination,” from Wassenhove, St. Martin’s Press (2009).Humanitarian Logistics , by R. Tomasini and L.Van
Session 13 Ghana School Feeding Program
Date February 15Topics 1. 2. Sustainability of programs and supply chains Creating local solutions 3. Strengthening local markets
Preparation
Book • Cuny, Chapters 6-‐10
NYU Classes
• Prepare assignment #3: “Ghana School Feeding Program” (new case) • “Strengthening Local Capacity,” from The Humanitarian Enterprise:
Dilemmas & Discoveries, by Larry Minear, Kumarian Press, Inc., (2002).
Assignment #3 is due by email February 15 before class
Session 14 To Be Determined
Date February 15Topics 1. TBD
Preparation • No reading required.
Session 15 Conclusion and Wrap-‐Up
Date February 15Preparation • No reading required.
